PIERS Reports U.S. Containerized Imports of Toys Increased 20 Percent

NEWARK, New Jersey, November 23, 2010 - Toy retailers in the U.S. are anticipating a bright holiday season,
reports PIERS (www.piers.com), the standard in trade intelligence.
U.S. containerized imports of toys increased by 20 percent on a year-to-date
basis, January through September, amounting to 398,137 TEUs. However, price
increases may be on the horizon for many toy manufacturers who are already
dealing with tight profit margins.

(Photo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101123/NY06952 )

The most popular toys on a year-to-date basis include many traditional
items including plastic, plush and stuffed toys, tricycles and scooters as
well as Nintendo home video game ensembles, originating primarily from China.

Toys from China (including exports through Hong Kong) far surpass other
source countries. On a year-to-date basis, 91 percent of toys imported to the
U.S., originate from China, up 19.3 percent over the previous year. Vietnam
and Taiwan import 1.1 percent of toys, which increased by 38 percent and 44
percent respectively. Vietnam continues to grow rapidly, showing a 90 percent
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over a ten year period (2000/2001 -
2009/2010). Taiwan's growth volumes have been flat over the same timeframe,
while the CAGR for Czech Republic grew 41 percent and Germany 10 percent.

"Although consumer spending in the U.S. is recovering, there remains the
risk of price increases in the near future", says Mario Moreno, Economist at
PIERS. "The continuing appreciation, albeit slow appreciation of the Yuan
relative to the dollar, will negatively impact Chinese toy manufacturer
profit margins, specifically those making low-value toys". Moreno continues,
"If the Yuan moves too fast, and demand continues to grow, toy manufacturers
may be forced to raise prices in order to remain in business".

The busiest U.S. ports handling inbound shipment of toys include the Port
of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Los Angeles handled 106,741
inbound TEUs of toys year-to-date, up by 22.7 percent and Long Beach handled
91,608 TEUs up by 24.7 percent.

Regarding foreign ports, 54 percent of all toy shipments to the U.S. on a
year-to-date basis came from the Port of Shenzhen, a 21 percent share gain
from 2001. The Port of Shanghai, on the other hand, gained 6 percentage
points, to 12 percent, displacing the Port of Hong Kong to third place. The
Port of Hong Kong handled 46 percent of total outbound shipment of toys to
the U.S. in 2001, but since then, it has lost significant traffic, handling
just 11 percent of all toy shipments, year-to-date.

About PIERS - PIERS is the global import and export information service
that provides powerful tools and data for measuring markets, analyzing
competition and uncovering opportunities. Launched more than 35 years ago,
PIERS was the first venture in digital global trade intelligence and quickly
became the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and insight. Thousands
of subscribers from public and private businesses, trade associations and
governments around the world rely on PIERS to guide their global business
strategies. PIERS is a division of UBM Global Trade, and a sister company of
The Journal of Commerce. For more information, visit www.piers.com ,
or call 800-952-3839 (+1-973-776-8660).

About UBM Global Trade - UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of
proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content
supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics
industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print
and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce,
Breakbulk, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade and
transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of
United Business Media Limited, is headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices
throughout the United States. For more information, explore
www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-223-0243 (+1-973-848-7250 outside
the U.S. or Canada).

Susan Kelemen, Media Relations, PIERS, UBM Global Trade (a United Business Media Company), +1-973-776-7835, skelemen at piers.com